He Xingzhou was very considerate and even brought disposable gloves.
But Xiao Can didn’t like those things; he found them uncomfortable to wear.
He washed his hands carefully, sat at the dining table in the living room, and began peeling the shrimp with his bare hands.
He Xingzhou sat opposite him, supporting his chin with one hand and watching him with a smile.
This made Xiao Can feel a little embarrassed. He internally struggled, wondering if eating like this would seem too rude and make his actions look clumsy. He had only peeled half of the first shrimp when the shell accidentally snapped, splashing broth on his face.
He quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe it off, but He Xingzhou had already burst into laughter.
“What, can’t you peel shrimp?” he asked, “I remember you were quite skilled when we ate at the food stall that day.”
“It’s your shrimp that’s no good!” Xiao Can pushed the blame due to embarrassment.
He Xingzhou didn’t mind and still had a very good mood. While extending his hand, he said, “Let me peel it for you.”
“Huh?” Xiao Can was stunned.
He Xingzhou picked up a shrimp from the container and removed its head.
“No need,” Xiao Can hastily said, “I can do it!”
He Xingzhou looked at the removed shrimp head, then handed it to him, “There’s roe, have a taste.”
Xiao Can hesitated, his face gradually turning red.
“Hurry up,” He Xingzhou urged, reaching out his hand again, “The juice is dripping.”
Xiao Can hesitantly leaned over, sticking out his tongue to lick the shrimp roe that spilled out of the shell, then closed his lips and gently sucked.
With the rich shrimp roe accompanied by the sweet and refreshing sauce flooding into his mouth, Xiao Can quietly smacked his lips, his face burning even more.
“How does it taste?” He Xingzhou asked eagerly.
“It’s alright,” Xiao Can dared not look at him, then quickly changed his words, “It’s… quite good.”
“Just quite good?” He Xingzhou was still not satisfied with this evaluation. He deftly peeled the shrimp meat and handed it over, “Taste it carefully again?”
Xiao Can lowered his gaze and took the shrimp with his mouth, accidentally brushing his lips against He Xingzhou’s fingers.
His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly withdrew, lowering his head and chewing silently.
However, He Xingzhou didn’t take it seriously and asked again, “How is it?”
It should be pretty good. The shrimp was very fresh, with firm flesh, and the sweet and sour taste of lemon and plum made it even more delicious.
But Xiao Can had no time to savor it. His scattered thoughts prevented him from concentrating. Instead of the food in his mouth, he was more focused on the smiling eyes of the Alpha in front of him.
But he didn’t dare to look too much.
He kept his head low, afraid that He Xingzhou would notice his current nervousness.
He Xingzhou deliberately bent down, staring at his red cheeks with a fresh expression, “I didn’t put much alcohol in it. You’ve only eaten one, why are you blushing like this? With your alcohol tolerance, this shouldn’t happen.”
“I… I’m feeling hot,” Xiao Can turned aside, “I’m sweating.”
He Xingzhou looked slightly puzzled but still stood up and adjusted the air conditioning temperature.
Returning to his seat, he naturally picked up another shrimp, removed its head, and handed it to Xiao Can. After Xiao Can sucked the shrimp brain, He Xingzhou continued to peel the shrimp with a smile.
Xiao Can took the second shrimp with his mouth, thinking, is this the reason I like this person?
Although there were plenty of unbearable aspects, there were also some small details that made his heart race.
He suddenly felt a sense of reality about his feelings for the first time.
He told himself that his judgment wasn’t that bad. In this unexpected infatuation, there was also inevitability.
He Xingzhou, this Alpha, was quite special.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Xiao Can asked.
“I made it specially for you,” He Xingzhou said.
The shrimp in Xiao Can’s hand was almost hot. After some consideration, he finished peeling it and bravely handed it over, saying, “Here.”
He Xingzhou was stunned.
“Courtesy demands reciprocity,” Xiao Can turned his head away, not looking at him.
He Xingzhou didn’t refuse anymore and after a soft “oh,” he also used his mouth to take it, but he was very careful, not touching his fingers at all.
“Why is it so warm?” He Xingzhou muttered.
Xiao Can, who was licking the juice off his fingers, suddenly felt embarrassed at his words, “I’m just giving you some to eat, don’t talk too much.”
He Xingzhou continued to peel the shrimp, “This needs to be eaten cool to be delicious. Perfect food is not only about color, fragrance, and taste, but temperature is also an important factor.”
He suddenly became annoying.
Xiao Can glanced at him and suddenly made a surprising discovery.
“Why, are you drunk too?” he said to He Xingzhou, “Your face is a bit flushed.”
He Xingzhou was very calm, “My alcohol tolerance is originally very poor.”
“I thought you were shy,” Xiao Can said.
He Xingzhou stopped and looked at him in silence.
“I’m not!” Xiao Can felt guilty, “I’m hot!”
“Still hot?” He Xingzhou asked, “I’m feeling a bit cold.”
“Hot,” Xiao Can fanned himself with his hand, “I’m… still sweating. Are you too weak that you’re feeling cold?”
He Xingzhou handed the peeled shrimp to him, saying, “Don’t talk nonsense in front of an Alpha.”
Xiao Can took it with his hand and finished it, then licked his fingers.
After a moment, he whispered, “Very delicious.”
He Xingzhou was smug, “Of course.”
With only a box of shrimp, it didn’t take long for them to finish.
Xiao Can washed his hands, still savoring the lingering sweetness in his mouth, feeling unsatisfied.
“You’re so stingy, just bringing this little,” he walked out of the bathroom and complained to He Xingzhou, “It’s not enough to eat at all.”
“Next time I make it,” He Xingzhou said, “This sauce is versatile, it can soak many things. If you like it, I’ll give you some in the future.”
“I’m too lazy to soak it myself,” Xiao Can tried to imply.
Unfortunately, He Xingzhou didn’t understand, “It’s not troublesome. Just tell me what you want to eat, buy it, wash it, cook it with ginger and scallions, and then put it in.”
“I have to prepare ginger and scallions, and cook it. It’s too much trouble,” Xiao Can said, “I hardly ever cook at home.”
He Xingzhou finally understood, “That’s okay, I’m here. Just tell me what you want to eat.”
“Can crabs be soaked too?” Xiao Can asked.
“It can,” He Xingzhou said, “Can you peel them?”
“Of course I can, I can even eat shrimp by myself,” Xiao Can muttered, “It’s just that I don’t peel them as quickly as you.”
It was already past 3 a.m., the food was finished, and they were both tired.
But Xiao Can couldn’t bear to leave like this, so he sat on the sofa in the living room as if nothing had happened, trying to find something to talk about.
“Do you really like cooking for others?” he asked.
“It’s my hobby,” He Xingzhou said.
“Then…” Xiao Can licked his lips, “Would you peel shrimp shells for others too?”
He Xingzhou shook his head.
Xiao Can was secretly delighted, but then he heard him continue, “I’ve never seen anyone who can’t peel shrimp shells before.”
…
Too much talk was unnecessary. It would be better to return to his own room as soon as possible, where he could at least savor the lingering sweetness brought by that moment of beauty.
Feeling frustrated, Xiao Can stood up, “Is there nothing else? Then I’ll go—”
“Yes, there is!” He Xingzhou interrupted.
Xiao Can looked at him, indicating him to continue.
“Um, it’s just…” He Xingzhou sat down next to him and gestured for him to sit too, “You mentioned before that you were going to have the marking surgery last month.”
Xiao Can had casually mentioned going next month, but now it was more than two months later, which could be considered last month’s plan.
During this time, he had been busy. He had only updated some promotional videos of him attending events as an “Ambassador of warmth” on Bai Tao’s account, all of which were made by Bai Tao and uploaded by Cai Yawen.
Before the end of this drama, he wouldn’t have time to deal with these matters.
“You probably haven’t gone yet, right?” He Xingzhou asked.
Admitting in person that there were marks left by the other party on his body would inevitably be a bit embarrassing.
“What’s the point of asking?” Xiao Can said, “I’ve already said, the follow-up has nothing to do with you.”
“How could it have nothing to do with me,” He Xingzhou said, “It all started because of me, so of course I’ll care.”
“…Out of responsibility, right?” Xiao Can asked.
“I’m very worried about you,” He Xingzhou looked at him, “Have you been feeling better lately? Or are you still uncomfortable?”
He wasn’t anymore. The comfort brought by the complete mark made his physical condition very stable, and he slept even better than before.
He originally wanted to tell him that these worries were unnecessary, but just as he was about to speak, a remarkable idea came to mind.
He glanced at He Xingzhou, his gaze gradually shifting from He Xingzhou’s eyes to his lips. Swallowing hard, he nodded slightly and said softly, “Yes.”
He Xingzhou indeed worried, “Then you…”
“Ma-ma-maybe, maybe because…” Xiao Can stammered nervously, “It’s been a bit too long, so recently I’ve been feeling…um…uncomfortable.”
“What kind of discomfort?” He Xingzhou asked, “Have you been to the hospital?”
“Where’s the time for that,” Xiao Can muttered, “It’s just… occasionally dizzy, irritable, and the like.”
He Xingzhou frowned, looking serious, “Irritable…”
“Yeah, yeah!” Xiao Can nodded vigorously, “It’s all because of you! I get angry easily because of you too!”
He Xingzhou sighed, looking worried.
Xiao Can became even more nervous under his gaze, wanting to continue saying something as a hint, but it was difficult to speak.
The two remained silent for a while, and suddenly He Xingzhou cleared his throat.
“Um…” he also began hesitantly, “You mean, the discomfort is because it’s been too long… you mean the mark?”
This question was a bit too direct.
“Maybe,” Xiao Can didn’t dare to nod directly out of embarrassment, so he pretended to be clueless, “I’m not sure, just guessing.”
“In that case…” He Xingzhou licked his lips, “Would doing it again make you feel better?”
Xiao Can’s throat was a bit dry, but he didn’t speak, just turned his head to look at him.
He Xingzhou cleared his throat again, “You probably don’t have time to go to the hospital recently, and you’re working hard every day… what I mean is, uh… if I can help…”
Xiao Can’s face was already red, biting his lip without saying a word.
The air fell into silence again.
He Xingzhou took a deep breath, “…What do you think?”
Xiao Can said something, but unfortunately, only he could hear it.
“What?” He Xingzhou leaned closer.
“I said,” Xiao Can gathered courage to look at him, “I mean that.”
“…”
Xiao Can lightly bit his lip, raised his hand to hug He Xingzhou’s neck, leaned back, and closed his eyes.
In response to him was a passionate kiss with a warm and gentle touch.
But a simple mark didn’t require a kiss.
This was something they had confirmed last time.
And at this moment, Xiao Can confirmed once again that he was the one who urgently needed He Xingzhou’s kiss.
He was quickly embraced, surrounded by the nostalgic scent of mint, and the tension and uneasiness from earlier vanished rapidly.
He still kept his eyes closed and murmured, “Seems to work.”
He Xingzhou moved back a bit, whispering softly, “That’s really good.”
“Shall we try a bit more?” Xiao Can said.
He Xingzhou responded with action.
